Cashless parking arrives on Merton’s streets

Merton residents and visitors to the borough will now be able to use a cashless parking service for on-street parking for the first time from this week. Motorists no longer have to hunt for change as the new RingGo system offers an alternative way to pay and display parking that does not use coins. Merton Council introduced cashless parking to all 14 council-owned car parks last year and has now rolled out the cashless service across all 3,600 council-operated on-street parking bays.

Every parking location in the borough has a unique code. People can either pay over the phone, by text, online or by using a free smartphone app. They will also receive an optional reminder, alerting them that their parking time is coming to an end, and if they wish to stay longer, they can top up their time from wherever they are. RingGo signage will be in place at each location by the end of the week.

The existing ticket machines have been left in place so people can pay in cash if they prefer.

Merton Council cabinet member for environmental cleanliness and parking Councillor Judy Saunders said: “We’ve listened to our residents and are making it easier for them to park in our town centres. There’s now no need to rummage around for the right change as we can all pay by smartphone. Using the new RingGo service reduces the risk of receiving a parking charge notice and lastly there’s no need to rush back to the car park to extend parking time. This is the latest in how we’re trying to make paying for parking fair and easy for our residents. Other ways we’re doing this include saving people money by freezing the cost of resident parking permits for the last five years.”

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With RingGo it is possible to pay via the app, by calling, sending a text message or paying on-line. Details of each are given on the myRingGo website. Alternatively people can call the standard rate telephone number 020 3046 0060 at the time they want to park. To save time, motorists can register in advance either through the apps or at www.myRingGo.co.uk